21.04.2023.

Opening of Exhibition “Serbian Military Flags from First Serbian Uprising till the End of First World War”

Today and exhibition “Serbian Military Flags from the First Serbian Uprising till the End of the First World War” has been opened in the Gallery of the Military Museum on the Belgrade fortress to mark the Serbian Armed Forces Day.

Assistant Minister of Defence for Human Resources Siniša Radović opened the exhibition, and on the occasion of the Serbian Armed Forces Day, Acting Director of the Public Company “Post of Serbia” Zoran Đorđević presented the artistic work “Serbian army crosses Albania” by the author, Miloš Golubović as a gift to the Military Museum from the Public Company “Post of Serbia”.

Opening the exhibition, Assistant Minister of Defence for Human Resources Siniša Radović underlined that the Military Museum, after the National Museum, is the place that safeguards the greatest national treasure.

- Today, as we are two days away from the celebration of the greatest military holiday, we have an opportunity to attend the exhibition “Serbian Military Flags from the First Serbian Uprising till the End of the First World War” from the collection of the Military Museum. That collection safeguards some 170 military flags, wreaths, ribbons and everything that marks our flag. A flag is a symbol of belonging, honour and combat unity of a unit and armed forces. It is the holder of collective decoration for merit of the entire unit in both war and peace. To capture an enemy flag in combat has been and remained an honour of an individual and unit, but on the battlefield the Serbian soldier has always been ready to lay down his life, but not the flag - said Assistant Minister of Defence Radović and thanked the Director of the Public Company “Post of Serbia” for the gift.

Acting Directorj of PC “Post of Serbia” Zoran Đorđević stressed that the painting, as a national and cultural good, possessed a great value for our state and therefore it belonged under the roof of the Military Museum to be viewed by all visitors and guests of the Museum.

- This national and cultural good is a work of art, an oil painting by academic painter Miloš Golubović who painted this piece in 1915 on the spot during the golgotha and withdrawal of the Serbian army through Albania. It depicts everything that our military experienced during while withdrawing, all suffering that afflicted our army, which regardless of all that, endured, survived and finally won the First World War - said Director of “Post of Serbia” Zoran Đorđević.

Addressing the present, Director of the Military Museum Lieutenant Colonel Nevenka Darmanović, pointed out that every year Military Museum organised exhibitions to celebrate the Serbian Armed Forces Day.

- The thematic exhibition in front of us follows the development of Serbian flags from the earliest days of the First Serbian Uprising when the restoration of the Serbian statehood took place. We cannot but to single out the flag of the King’s Guard with depicted Saint Dimitrios of Thessaloniki with the motto “For the Faith, King and Fatherland”. I believe that you will enjoy the treasure of the Republic of Serbia safeguarded in the Military Museum - said Director Darmanović adding that the flag of the first infantry regiment of the second call took a prominent place at the exhibition.

The exhibition visitors will have the opportunity to familiarise themselves with original artefacts from 19th and first half of 20th century, among which the most characteristic is the Serbian ducal flag from the First Serbian Uprising from 1811, and flags known as “Lozničanka” and “Rudničanka” which were a gift from Loznica and Rudnik municipalities for Milan Obrenović on the occasion of his coming of age. A special place is given to volunteers’ flags from Serbia-Turkey Wars of lavish iconography and heraldic elements.

The visitors will also see a regimental flag, under which the heroic victories were won during the Balkan Wars and the First World War, and the flags of Serbian volunteers from America of vivid colours from the Great War, and the flag of the King’s Guard from 1904.

The exhibition of the author, the Military Museum Counsellor Marijana Jovelić will be open for all visitors until 20th June in the Gallery of the Military Museum on Kalemegdan.